Topic: Visual Novels

@Maxenmus Sara and Karen are mostly romance comedy routes with a little bit of drama and learning a few things about the overarching world. You do those routes first. Then you do Rinne which is the main meat of the story. Then once I finally get through all that insanity you do the Rinné route which is the true ending route. I like using a route guide to know which decisions to make and the best or in some cases, required route order because I don't care to waste time since visual novels are lengthy enough, lol.

I guess I answered that above, lol

@Maxenmus Sorry for that kinda late reply, i kinda didn't get to it.
Anyways, you are very welcome and reading through your last comment solidified my opinion too.
I also like the darker kind of stories in Visual Novels a lot more usually and also thought that Swan Song didn't have that much of a pacing issue due to its relative Shortness. I also didn't like the true ending, it felt really odd with the whole story and doesn't quite fit. The normal one was a lot better.... Lars von Trier style visual novel fits really well though, now that i think about it.
Its funny, because i also quite liked the School Days anime back then, but never really read the Visual Novel. It is probably better, as an original medium usually is, but i also have trouble rereading stuff that i already know. It just bores me really quickly. Only ever did that with Higurashi, after like 6 years of watching the anime and its a loooot better

@Ralizah So yeah, i think Umineko is very much worth reading, it is one of the highest rated VN's ond vndb for a very good reason, even surpassing Higurashi. If you like mystery and well written characters with a complicated story then this is the Visual Novel for you, it just starts a bit slow. If you are more into Horror and atmosphere Higurashi takes the cake. If you dislike or like one, changes are high that you will love the other as well.
Oh and parts of it also reminded me of the trials in Danganronpa, just without the gameplay with the main character being Phoenix Wright

Same. The True End felt like a cop-out, an obligatory happy ending. I wish they stuck with their guns and went with the more realistic ending. Not every visual novel needs a "True End." And yes, while the Normal End did rip my heart out, tore it into little pieces, stomping it, poured gasoline on it and then proceeded to run it over with an exploding gas truck, I would still prefer that depressing end over the cheap True End any day.

Take a look at Kara no Shoujo, for example. I love that its True Ends are the depressing ones, while the happier endings are false Normal Ends. Sugina Miki just loves to bait you into caring about her characters before killing them off in the worst possible ways. Her games are like misery porn, even the more lighthearted FLOWERS games, I'd imagine.

And more than anything, Swan Song's True End just takes away from the impact of its themes and message: the cruelty and uncaring nature of reality in the face of survival situations, even if you're autistic and orphaned (which one of the main characters is, making me quickly realize at the beginning of the game how depressing and uncomfortable it was gonna get). It's like giving Lord of the Flies a surprise twist happy ending. Hey, turns out Piggy was alive after all... hooray?

lol SAME. I hate rereading/rewatching stuff too. It took me a long time to get to Higurashi When They Cry for the same reason, but yeah, it's definitely a lot better than the anime, so it was worth it.

I had the same experience for Key visual novels too, namely Clannad and Kanon, playing the VN only a long time after I've seen the anime (and Clannad is another one that fits better as a VN too because of its multiverse plot). Haven't played Air yet, but I heard the anime cut out some important stuff, so I might want to get to it someday. Air was another depressing one that didn't pull its punches in relaying how cruel reality can be. Well, the anime anyway; not sure about the VN.

"Phoenix Wright in Danganronpa" actually describes Umineko pretty well, now that I think about it. Plus a mix of witches and metafiction.

@Maxenmus I actually never read a KEY Visual Novel before but did watch Clannad and Kanon about 7 years ago... So i am reading through Little Busters now, not sure if those kind of Drama VN's are really my style. After a few years of anime, i tense up a little whenever certain highschool tropes make a character tip too much into an unrealistic stereotype. I guess Character writing is more or less the most important thing to me.
So do you think KEY Visual Novels are pretty decent? or at least have a good payoff if one thinks that the first few hours are "alright, but not quite pulling me in yet"?
Hope that description makes sense.

I also see that you got The house in Fata Morgana for the Switch. Lots of people also recommended me that particular VN after Umineko and i thought it was good, but very different from what i liked about the former. It dragged a tiny bit in the latter half when lots of things got retold, but more detailed or from a slightly different perspective... it was still decent though.

Speaking about Higurashi, did you like the new Anime adaption?

Well, to be fair, Little Busters, in my opinion anyway, wasn't one of Key's best work. I got put off by its "power of friendship" plot, even if it was a more realistic and grounded take on the trope compared to your typical shounen anime like One Piece and Fairy Tail. A lot of Key fans loved it though, considering it one of their best works, so I'm in the minority.

I think that I was never really put off by any unrealistic highschool tropes Key threw at me with its characters because I knew what I was getting into with Key visual novels. The characters would usually have over-the-top comedy routines at the beginning meant to draw you in (which was successful for me, as the comedy was the main reason I kept reading Clannad) before throwing you a curve ball of melodrama emotions. And that kind of story isn't necessarily suitable for everyone, but for people who love to cry at movies, people who love tragedies, I feel like Key visual novels are perfect for those people, because they're "nakige," meaning "crying games where the conflicts are usually resolved by the end" (the more extreme counterpart is "utsuge," which are depressing games with... well, no happy endings... they're just there to make you as miserable as possible). People with a lot of pent up emotions and love stories or movies that bring out that emotional catharsis, Key visual novels are perfect for them. That's why I called them "the Pixar of visual novels."

And that works for me because I'm an empath, not a thinker, which is also why I prefer the tragedy of Higurashi over the thinking game of Umineko's mystery. I feel more with my emotions than go with the logic of things, which is why the goofy highschool stereotypes didn't really bother me all that much when the slapstick comedy was that hilarious, and when the emotional music was that powerful (albeit manipulative) in making me cry. Half of the times, I cried because of the music. lol

For what it's worth, I did start to get bored by Key games beginning from Little Busters. By the time I got to Rewrite, maybe the problems you described about the highschool stereotypes did make the VNs duller and more generic for me, because it really didn't grab me even after I finished one route (Kotori's route), and I just dropped the game altogether. It might also have something to do with the fact that Maeda Jun was no longer writing the common route (or any routes at all) in that game. He was the one whom people usually credit for the success of previous Key VNs.

And it doesn't help that Clannad was something special that was hard to top because it had such a good balance of comedy and tragedy. It knows how to tear your heart out the way Pixar movies do that you might even call it predatory and sadistic. lol Freaking Fuko, man. Fuko's route always made me cry the hardest, with Nagisa's route coming in second. The writers freaking knew what they were doing when they wrote this annoying but quirky and adorable girl Fuko that looks younger than the other students and bringing out the big brother instincts in you. And the way Nagisa's father, Akio, just stomped in and shouted for his daughter not to give up her dreams because of them, how her parents were proud to have given up their dreams to give birth to her... dang, I'm tearing up just writing about it. That's powerful stuff. I think the anime pulled off that scene far better than the VN though because of the animation of Akio's passionate expressions and the perfect choreography of the music timed just right.

I also like that they kinda subverted the character tropes a bit, the kind you'd usually find in harem VNs. Instead of just being an average highschooler whom girls fall in love with for no reason, Key actually gave you decent reasons why Tomoya was a loner, why he only hung out with those girls because those girls were practically social outcasts with problems of their own too. Even Akio's goofy antics with Nagisa's mum, Sanae, he also explained why they performed the same goofy antics in front of Nagisa everyday like it's some kind of cheesy anime. It's brilliant in a self-referential kind of way.

And it gets even better in Clannad: After Story, because most romance anime stops the story after "happily ever after," but I believe Clannad was one of the earlier contemporary works that made the "after story" a more common trope among anime, because we all know real life doesn't ends when you "get the girl/boy and fall in love." There's a reason why After Story was once ranked among the top 10 anime of all time during its release because it went so brutally realistic on what should've been a cheesy and emotional romance drama, dealing with realistic financial issues and parental issues few romance anime would bother with.

tl;dr: Clannad's writing is top-tier and solid in spite of the melodrama. Go read it.

I think it helps that I'm someone who will defend melodrama at times because they do have a place among fiction. They're meant for people who want to feel as emotional as possible when experiencing those stories rather than think too hard about it, and I think they're well-written fiction for the kind of appeal they're going for.

I've only finished the first route so I can't tell you much. I had a break from it (and pretty much every show I was watching) when I started playing SMT games. I liked it for what it is, and I think it's going for the utsuge storytelling where misery is its charm, and if you know me, you'll know how much I love depressing stories like that. It feels like it's saying that the depressing despair that descended upon these characters was inevitable, because life sucks. lol But again, only finished the first route. It's a looooong game.

I've only seen the first season. The first-half of the season draggggs, but there were things I like about the adaptation, especially the second-half. I like that we got to see that side of Takano, crying her eyes out and apologizing. I really felt for her and thought it's why she's such a brilliant villain. But as for the main villain of the series though... I don't know. I found the villain kinda self-entitled and whiny, especially considering what Rika had to go through. The villain was so poorly written IMO.

Just finished Kinkoi: Golden Loveriche on my laptop and it's a masterpiece. Already started the sequel, Golden Time.

I have recently decided to delve into the VN genre. I've played things like 9H9P9D and Ace Attorney Before, but never a full-on VN.

Blown quite a lot of cash picking up some physical Switch versions recently, but am starting out on WorldEnd Syndrome as I picked that up cheap digitally and am enjoying it so far.

What I'm wondering is, are there any worthwhile recommendations for Switch VNs that are suitable for a 10-12 year old?

I'm guessing not as the genre seems dominated by slightly older material, but just thought I'd ask as I think my kid would enjoy the VN experience.

@gcunit Coffee Talk is rated T for Teen. One of my favorite vns from the past few years that doesn't skew towards romance or overly suggestive adult themes. You just play a barista, listening to peoples stories and making drinks to progress the plot. Good music and interesting characters, it's a good time.

@Magician Thank you. I'll keep it in mind, not one that had especially appealed from that description (never been a coffee drinker and always found the cult of coffee making/drinking a bit... alien), but I appreciate the recommendation and thought behind it.

Just seen (according to DekuDeals.com) that Clannad has a PEGI 12 rating, which is one I've bought recently and am excited about, so hopefully that will fit the bill too. Same goes for Robotics;Notes actually.

@gcunit No problem. And for you yourself, perhaps some more mature options? I'm a fan of Raging Loop (Among Us in vn form) and VA-11 Hall-A (Coffee Talk but with alcohol). And since you mentioned having played Ace Attorney, perhaps The Red Strings Club might interest you.

Ok, did I jsut discover there's a visual novel thread? Big fan of them. I actually make visual novels, haven't published any yet though.

Also, I really like "Steins;Gate: My Darling's Embrace" and "Doki Doki Literature Club"

@Magician I've bought enough for me in the last 2 weeks to last 2 years, I suspect, but I shall wishlist those as well, thanks.

Current plan is to finish WorldEnd Syndrome, then make a start on the Science Adventure series with Chaos;Head, and try and play those that have released physically on Switch in order of original publication. Depending on how that goes, I've got about 7 more lined up after/in-between that...

@gcunit Oh yeah, forgot the Chaos series existed, my brother has it on Steam and I can play his games, so I suppose after I finish Steins;Gate: My Darling's Embrace I'll play Chaos;Child.

Harmonia is now on the eShop although I'm getting a physical version from PlayAsia. It's from Key which is the studio responsible for Classics such as Clannad, Kanon, Little Busters, Angel Beats and Planetarian.

@EllaTheKawaiiNeko Need any suggestions? I can tell you the best on Switch and PC (if you like 18+ eroge that is).

@EllaTheKawaiiNeko Guessing you've already played Stein's Gate? I think I've bought it 3 times and still not started it, but now the other Science Adventure titles are on Switch too, it'll have to wait a bit longer.

@JustMonika According to 'How long to beat', Harmonia is only about 6 hours to completion. Seems pretty expensive compared to most based on that.

Just heard that Ryukishi07 (Higurashi, Umineko) is actually the Writer of the new Silent Hill f game. How crazy is that? I suppose that explains why he never has time for Ciconia anymore but i have some high hopes for that games story now, definitely gonna keep an eye on this